March 22, 2004

The Mystery and the Camino

What can be done to help so many people that pass by our roads to help them encounter the Mystery? In the first place, you have to remember what the Pope says in his Apostolic Letter of the New Millennium: Before doing anything, return to Jesus Christ, experience the Mystery of the Incarnation and Pascal Mystery of the Holy Spirit.

It is not about fervently defending an ideology, and existing belief system, or values. First and foremost, it has to do with adoring the Mystery that overwhelms us, that we cannot hold on to with our weak concepts, much less imprison by our actions. It is about contemplating in prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist the overwhelming presence of the Lord, to be quiet, and to deeply feel in its presence.

And, at that point, try to place our little tiny grain of sand, plant our miniscule seen that, through the Spirit, may grow and bear fruit.

We have in our hands a magnificent medium in the Camino de Santiago as a way to bring prayer to those who do not know it, or to breathe new life into what was almost extinguished. Without a doubt, the pilgrimage is a great gift to lead people from the secular to the sacred, and I think the Church should not be afraid to be a presence on the Camino de Santiago with a clear evangelical vocation.

The pilgrim finds himself before a route filled with history, legends, art, symbols, traditions, and customs that are steeped in religion. And, through prayer, we can help the pilgrim discover certain keys to interpret what he, as a pilgrim, experiences on the Camino.